The Rwandan athlete was all set to showcase her skills in sitting volleyball at the upcoming competition, which is scheduled to start this Thursday, right after Wednesday's opening ceremony. But alarm bells started ringing when she went missing on Aug. 20 upon her arrival in Paris, as per French media reports.
Rwanda's team had previously competed in sitting volleyball during the Tokyo Paralympics, where they didn't manage to progress from their group. However, with a strong world ranking this year, they're looking to make a significant impact.
Earlier in the year, Rwanda was present at the Summer Olympic Games, participating in athletics, cycling, fencing, and swimming, but unfortunately left without any medals.
The Huffington Post has reported that authorities are currently investigating what they describe as the "worrying disappearance" of the para-athlete, who was also expected to be part of the opening ceremony. Her absence was reportedly brought to light on Tuesday.
Speaking to The New Times , Rwanda's sitting volleyball captain Liliane Mukobwankawe expressed the team's ambitions before the games: "Our aim in France is to showcase significant progress as athletes participating in our third Paralympic Games," she said. "We are currently ranked fifth in the world, and we plan to demonstrate that growth on the global stage."
"We are not just going there to participate; we intend to compete," declared head coach Dr. Mosaad Elauity. "I am confident that we can achieve impressive results as the team has improved in all areas. We won't make it easy for those top-ranked countries,".
The Paris Paralympics officially kicked off with an opening ceremony on Thursday. Thousands of athletes from 184 delegations will be participating in the games.
Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet spoke at the ceremony, stating: "This ceremony at the heart of the city is a powerful symbol of our ambition to use our country's first-ever Paralympic Games to place the issue of inclusion for people with disabilities at the forefront of our society."
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